Chapter 111 - Parental Love
The moment I stepped out of the station, the cityscape of a true business district rushed into my view.
Clusters of modern buildings stretched upward, as if piercing through the blue sky.
It should have been a cityscape that could only be described as a symbol of civilization and technology, but today, Shinjuku was filled with the exact opposite—a savage atmosphere.
Dragons were flying through the skies, while on the ground, yellow tape marked as "Keep Out" was strung everywhere, and police officers, presumably on lookout duty, stood all around.
And then, there were the men in business suits crowding the police officers. They were likely salarymen working around here. They were stubbornly insisting, "Please, just let me go to work," creating an atmosphere that felt like a riot might break out at any moment.
Apparently, they were willing to take the risk of being scorched by fire breath just to get to their jobs.
It was behavior that was the very definition of an economic animal, but is there really nothing else to do besides work?
As I watched them with a hint of contempt, the group of salarymen finally began to shout at the top of their lungs.
"Both of my daughters are in private school!"
One man spat as he clung to a police officer.
The tuition costs are high, I can't let my company go under here, please just let me go pick up my documents.
The desperate screams reached the level of madness—a parental love driven to insanity.
A father coming to retrieve documents at the risk of his life for the sake of his children.
A male dragon attacking a zoo for the sake of his children.
If I had a family to protect, would I also lose all sense of propriety?
If Elsa and the baby were still alive right now, would I have become a man who wanted to earn money regardless of the emergency?
Is that what fatherhood is?
Since I failed to become a father, I don't really know, so I have no choice but to imagine.
Even though I possess a skill like Fatherhood. It's quite a joke.
I moved forward while glancing sideways at the salaryman scuffling with the police officer.
I boldly stepped over the yellow barricade tape and headed straight for the dragon's nest.
Thanks to Concealment Magic, no one noticed me.
It seemed Kana, who loves to stand out, didn't hide herself, but in my case, my creed is to move stealthily.
Though it feels strange to be acting stealthily while walking right down the middle of the street.
My personality doesn't feel like a Hero at all... A thief, or maybe a farmer would be more fitting.
While self-deprecating in that way, I lifted my head.
I could see the father dragon circling leisurely in the vast sky, much like a black kite.
My role is to strike that thing with debris and take out its wife and children as well.
I know that he is merely following his instincts to leave offspring.
However, I am Angelica's guardian, and this country is my birthplace.
Creatures that prey on humans must be killed.
Just as you protect your own child, I will protect mine.
Angelica is the girl I decided to look after. Lately, Ayako-chan has joined her.
Since I am not blood-related to either of them, I have never felt a parental love that wells up from the very core of my being.
Because they are young females, I find them lovely in that sense.
And then—I am simply directing convenient emotions toward them as substitutes for the deceased Elsa and my own child.
When I dote on Angelica, I feel as if I am doting on my own child.
When I spoil Ayako-chan, I feel as if I am spoiling Elsa.
A man who could not become a father, distracting himself with a pseudo-family game. That is the man who is about to challenge the dragon, who is acting as a real father.
"What a foolish story, isn't it?"
I muttered and ran.
Peering at my smartphone, I saw that Kana was sitting down and resting in the shadow of that concrete fragment.
From here, it was a distance of several hundred meters.
To close the distance in one go, I took a running start and leaped.
Since one jump wouldn't reach, I did another. Even then, it wasn't enough, so I performed a third long jump.
I feel like there was a sport like this... Was it the triple jump in track and field?
Having jumped a distance that would easily break the world record, I landed right behind Kana.
"Gah!"
Even though my footsteps should have been silenced by Concealment, Kana turned around vigorously and grimaced.
Perhaps she sensed the impact, or maybe it was because she possessed that rare skill called Life Perception.
"Stop filming. I don't want to be on camera."
Kana pouted her lips in dissatisfaction, saying "Yeah, yeah," but she obeyed quietly.
Perhaps because I had already shown her the difference in our strength, she was remarkably submissive.
"Eh, what? Did you maybe come to save me?"
"That is one of my objectives, for now."
"...How did you know it was here? Are you, like, a viewer of my stream, Nakamoto-san?"
"I don't watch it every day. Today was a coincidence."
"...Hmm."
Wondering what to think, Kana began to straighten the hem of her flipped-up skirt.
She's so self-conscious. It's not like I was watching to see your underwear.
"...Wait, is it actually you, Nakamoto-san, who's trolling the comment section of my videos?"
"No way. This is the first time I've watched your stream today."
"Really? Because I started coming after that troll named 'Ayaya' kept saying 'Magician Nakamoto is definitely a fraud'."
"Are you calling me a fraud?"
"It's the truth. You're not doing magic; you're just appearing on TV by forcing your way through with magic and physical abilities."
She said it without any sign of remorse.
I felt like giving up on saving her, but she is still a human being. Kana has parents too.
Suppressing the urge to give her a smack, I commanded.
I'm going to lay hands on her later anyway. There's no need to do anything extra beforehand.
"Kana, agree to join the party."
"Again?"
"You want to be saved, don't you? I'm going to shoot down that dragon."
With a reluctant air, Kana nodded her head.
[Summoned Hero, Kana Saeki, has joined the party]
After confirming the system message, I crouched down and brought my finger close to Kana's forehead.
"...What!? What are you doing!?"
"Don't worry, it won't leave a mark."
"...Does that mean it'll hurt? Wait—"
Applying strength, I unleashed a full-force flick to her forehead.
BANG! With a thunderous sound, the strike created a small cut on Kana's skin.
While ignoring the girl who fell backward while clutching the wound with both hands, text windows began to display indifferently.
[Hero Keisuke has observed an injury to a minor within the party]
[Unique Skill "Fatherhood" has activated]
[For 180 seconds, status and skill multipliers are upgraded, and status ailments are nullified]
[HP +2000%]
[MP +2000%]
[Attack +2000%]
[Defense +2000%]
[Agility +2000%]
[Magic Attack +2000%]
[Magic Defense +2000%]
[Skill Multiplier x20]
In an instant, my entire body felt light.
Physical abilities so greatly enhanced that I could no longer even feel gravity. Pouring all of that into my right arm, I lifted the concrete fragment Kana had been hiding behind.
Holding it, I leaped up onto a multi-tenant building.
Since I was throwing from bottom to top, I thought an underhand form would be easiest.
Moving to the edge of the rooftop, I extended my arm and brought the concrete fragment to a position below my feet.
It was a posture as if I were desperately trying to lift someone who was about to fall from a building.
In reality, what I was holding was debris, and I didn't feel its weight at all.
Sensing the anomaly, the dragon spun around toward me.
It changed its flight route and began gliding straight toward me.
It's quite convenient that it's coming toward me. It makes it easier to aim.
I quietly steadied my breathing and strained the tendons in my arm.
I imagined a pitcher throwing an underhand pitch. Or perhaps a discus thrower.
I had experienced throwing massive objects at enemies so much during my time in the other world that I was sick of it.
Even if my shoulder felt like it would pop out—no, even if it actually did pop out—I had continued to throw regardless.
While glaring at the dragon with my left eye, I entered the throwing motion. Using the twist of my entire body, I generated rotational movement.
I continued to pull up my muscular strength with body enhancement until the moment of the swing—and at the exact moment of the throw, I relaxed to the absolute limit.
From hard to soft. From tension to release.
WHOOSH.
Accompanied by the sound of striking the air, the concrete fragment flew off. Because its durability had been increased with Strength Enhancement, it would not burn up even as it exceeded Mach speeds.
It accelerated to a point where even my eyes could no longer follow, traveling in a straight line at the speed of a meteor, and it pierced through the dragon.
It was an instantaneous event.
Just as it seemed an arrow of light had pierced the dragon, in the next moment, a rain of dark red fell.
That was the end of the dragon that had attacked the capital for the sake of its wife and child.
While wiping away the blood splatter wetting my cheek, I glared at the top of the Metropolitan Government Building.
The female dragon and her eggs still remain there.
By destroying those, my job will be finished. I will be able to give the gift of peace and safety to Angelica and the others.
I will be able to fulfill my duty as a father.
I leaped down from the multi-tenant building and headed straight for the Metropolitan Government Building.